Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 57

On Friday, the project manager from Evergreen Estates called to see if Lawrence wanted to take a look at the proposal sent over by the design team. He tried to keep his cool, but after glancing through the plans, his old habit kicked in. He opened the group chat to search for Bonnie’s profile picture. It was gone.

Jim from the city office had added two new people to the thread. Lawrence stared at the empty space where Bonnie's icon used to be and felt a rush of mixed emotions. It hit him: he’d made things difficult for her. That drunken fiasco the other night had freaked her out. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, fighting down the nagging urge to go find Bonnie, an urge he’d been trying so hard to bury.

He couldn’t explain it, not even to himself. Why did he keep losing control? He knew he was supposed to keep his distance, stop dragging her into his mess. But telling himself that and actually doing it were two different things.

He convinced himself that all he wanted was to apologize. To let her know she didn’t need to hide from him. That this project was a big deal, the sort people worked their whole careers for. If she felt uncomfortable, he’d be the one to walk away.

That afternoon dragged on, every minute filled with second guessing and frustration. Finally, Lawrence snatched up his keys and left. He swapped his usual car for a more anonymous Phaeton and made it to the municipal building just before the end of the workday.

At six, people started coming out in ones and twos. Lawrence stood near the curb, a cigarette resting between his fingers. He kept fiddling with it, his long fingers tapping against the filter, a mix of nervousness and uncertainty written all over his face.

He straightened up when he spotted Bonnie coming out of the building. Instinct took over. He pressed the unlit cigarette into the trash and strode toward her, ready to call her name.

He really didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone, but Bonnie always ignored him when no one else was around. Maybe if there were people nearby, she’d at least spare him a glance.

He’d barely taken a few steps before someone else appeared behind Bonnie, hurrying to catch up. “Wait for me, Bonnie! I’m done for the day, headed back with you!”

Bonnie was busy digging through her bag for her headphones. She paused at the sound, lifted her head, and locked eyes with Lawrence. Her expression went ice-cold in a heartbeat.

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